Wimbledon Day 3 recap: Seeds continue to tumble; Britons delight home crowd, royalty

Time of India

6 hours ago

Carlos Alcaraz progressed with ease on Day 3 at Wimbledon by beating Britain's Oliver Tarvet. (AP)
On Day 3 at
Wimbledon
, Carlos Alcaraz ended Oliver Tarvet's dream run by defeating the British amateur in straight sets, advancing to the third round.
Defending champion Alcaraz took just two hours and 17 minutes to overcome World No.
733 Tarvet, who showcased glimpses of his rising talent and thrilled the passionate crowd with flashes of brilliance.
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Alcaraz has now won 20 matches in a row, a streak that includes titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open, and Queen's Club.
He aims to become only the fifth man in the Open Era to secure at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles, joining Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
Aryna Sabalenka reacts during her second round match against Marie Bouzkova at Wimbledon.(AP)
Over on the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka bucked the trend of early shockers, defeating 48th-ranked Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a fiercely contested, hard-hitting match.
The Belarusian, who faced tough losses in both the Australian Open and French Open finals this year, impressed with 41 winners during the 95-minute encounter.
'Honestly, it's really sad to see so many top players losing, but you've got to focus on your own game,' said the three-time Grand Slam champion. 'I hope there won't be any more upsets in this tournament, if you know what I mean!'
More seeds topple
Wimbledon 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini packs up to leave the court after losing to Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round at the 2025 Wimbledon Tennis Championships. (AP)
Even before Day 3 of this year's Wimbledon began, 23 of 46 seeds had exited the tournament.
By the time the curfew was imposed, another eight were headed for the exit door. But none bigger than fourth seed Jasmine Paolini.
Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in last year's Wimbledon final, suffered a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Russian world number 62 Kamilla Rakhimova on Court 3.
12th seed Frances Tiafoe was the latest leading men's singles player to suffer the agony of an early defeat, going down 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 against British world number 61 Cameron Norrie.
Emma Raducanu
surprises herself
Emma Raducanu celebrates winning the second round women's singles match against Marketa Vondrousova at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. (AP)
Britain's Emma Raducanu played some of her best tennis since her 2021 US Open victory, convincingly defeating 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the third round.
Playing in front of a lively Centre Court crowd, Raducanu was left surprised by her own level as she outplayed the Czech.
'That was one of the best matches I've played in a long time,' Raducanu said. 'I turned around a point that I think is probably the best point I've ever played, so that was pretty crazy.
I think the crowd was really into it.'
However, she may need to elevate her game even further in her next encounter. With four of the five top women's seeds already knocked out, Raducanu's next opponent will be the only remaining top seed — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
'Yeah, I guess there's no pressure at all on me in the next round,' Raducanu said with a laugh during the on-court interview.
British men progress in numbers
Jack Draper of Britain serves to Sebastian Baez of Argentina during their men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. (AP)
British tennis players had already created history at Wimbledon 2025.
A record number had entered the main draw, a record number progressed from the first round and the hunt for the next Andy Murray continued with a record number of men making it into the Round of 64.
Seven men including fourth seed Jack Draper, Dan Evans, Jack Pinnington Jones and amateur Oliver Tarvet all made it into this year's second round at Wimbledon -- Britain's best tally at any Slam since 1997.
Andy Murray had ended Britain's wait for a men's Wimbledon champion in 2013 - a wait that had gone on for 77 years or since Fred Perry's title in 1936.
The next wait could be shorter thanks to Draper.
The 23-year-old has been keen to keep expectations low although he says British tennis is currently "in a good spot", partly due to Murray's influence.
"Andy has had a huge effect on a lot of the younger generation, watching his success over the years, major success on the big stage.
"It's really exciting what we're going to have in the next 10 years.... It's cool to be a part of that," said the winner of Indian Wells Masters 1000 title this week.
Draper's next round at Wimbledon is against former Wimbledon finalist and 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, John Cena grace Wimbledon's Royal Box
Actor Priyanka Chopra and her musician husband Nick Jonas arrive in the Royal Box at Centre Court during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. (AP)
Priyanka Chopra and husband Nick Jonas, John Cena, Olivia Rodrigo and Dave Grohl were some of the big names in the Wimbledon Royal Box on Wednesday.
'It's so special in the Royal Box to have those kind of people in there. It definitely adds a bit of pressure, I guess, if you look up and you kind of recognize (them),' Raducanu said.
'That's why I try and stay with my eyes on the court as much as possible. Only after, you kind of look up and take it all in, if they're still there.'
John Cena, Priyanka Chopra at Wimbledon 2025 tennis tournament.
The Royal Box seats are by invitation only, and there was quite a list of celebrities on hand for Day 3.
'I was trying not to look today,' Sabalenka said about the boldfaced names, explaining that she might be distracted while competing. 'I was just trying to focus on my game. Later on, I'm going to open the social media (and ask), 'OK, who was there?''
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